Idiot Box
by otwamewliart
Summary: Katniss has a deep dark secret. Will Peeta be able to save her? "TV, what do I need? / Tell me who to believe! / Whats the use of autonomy / when a button does it all?"
1. Chapter 1

I'm back my fellow readers! Sorry for the delay on my Kingdom Hearts, it's difficult to write right now...here's a filler!

So this takes place after the first book, taking the place of the second. The words in italics at the beginning are Suzanne Collins' actual words, so don't sue me because **I do not own.**

I have nothing else to add...enjoy!

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**Chapter 1**

_After a couple of hours, I reach an old house near the edge of the lake. Maybe "house" is too big a word for it. It's only one room, about twelve square feet. My father thought that a long time afo there were a lot of buildings - you can still see some of the foundations - and people came to them to play and fish in the lake. This house outlasted the others because it's made of concrete. Floor, roof, ceiling. Only one of the four glass windows remains, wavy and yellowed by time. There's no plumbing and no electricity, but the fireplace still works and there's a woodpile in the corner that my father and I collected years ago. I start a small fire, counting on the mist to obscure any telltale smoke. While the fire catches, I sweep out the snow that has accumulated under the empty windows, using a twig broom my father made me when I was about eight and I played house here. Then I sit on the tiny concrete hearth, thawing out by the fire and waiting for Gale._

_ It's a surprisingly short time before he appears. A bow slung over his shoulder, a dead wild turkey he must have encountered along the way hanging from his belt. He stands in the doorway as if considering whether or not to enter. He holds the unopened leather bag of food, the flask, Cinna's gloves. Gifts he will not accept because of his anger at me. I know exactly how he feels. Didn't I do the same thing to my mother?_

_ I look in his eyes. His temper can't quite mask the hurt, the sense of betrayal he feels at my engagement to Peeta. This will be my last chance, this meeting today, _to tell him the truth. _I could take hours trying to explain, and even then have him refuse me. Instead I go straight to the heart of my defense._

"I'm pregnant."

Gale raised his eyebrows,and I saw a myriad of emotions flash by in that following moment. Anger and betrayal, fear and astonishment, and for a brief second, disbelief. He didn't speak. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and hurt before I continued.

"Peeta and I...it wasn't just an act. I mean, it was at first, but after I started having those nightmares every night...he was the only one who could keep them away from me. I need him, I love him. We just...we weren't thinking and now..." I couldn't finish. I started sobbing, and suprisingly Gale wrapped me in his strong, warm arms.

"Katniss..." was all he said.

"I didn't want this." I managed to choke out, and he gave me a slight squeeze and I knew he knew what I was referencing. The day of the Reaping, I told him how I didn't want to have kids, and now that I was a victor, my future child was sure to face the same fate as both of his or her parents.

"I know," he said as he stroked my hair. I could tell by his comforting demeanor that he wasn't expecting this to happen when he came here today. Maybe he knew because I hardly cried that this was serious, or maybe he knew the deep shit I had gotten myself into. I stole a look at him through my tearstained eyes, and I saw the hurt and concern etched across his already aging face. He kissed my forehead, and I couldn't control myself. I broke out into a new round of hysterics, and tried to get a grip on myself.

"I haven't told Peeta yet." I said between sobs.

"What?" Gale pulled away from me, and forced me to look him in the face. "Why haven't you?"

"I'm afraid of what he would think," I hung my head in shame.

"Katniss, it takes two to make a child." he said sternly.

"I know. It's not like I'm blaming it all on myself...I just...I'm afraid of what the Capitol will do to us."

He sighed and nodded. "Keeping it from him isn't going to make things any better. You need to tell him. And as for the Capitol, they wanted you to prove your love to him, right? Isn't this proof enough?"

"Well, that's the thing. President Snow is still convinced that I don't love him. Will he think that we planned this to make it look like we were in love?"

"I don't know." he sighed in defeat. "We should head back though. You need to tell him before he finds out for himself. That will only make things worse."

He walks me back to the fence, with an arm around my shoulder for both moral and physical support. Now that I had gotten this burden off my chest, I only wanted to puke.

We arrived at the fence and went our seperate ways. I walked slower than I should have in such cold weather, but I had to mentally prepare myself for another battle.

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Chapter 2 is coming very soon, I meant to post it today but I forgot to finish the end of the scene. D:

I love you all dearly, please return the love and review.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, I'm back! Thanks to those who are patient with me and my biggest heartfelt apologies to the others. Life has been busy. School, life, senioritis, writer's block, senioritis, severe laziness syndrome, senioritis...have I forgotten something? Anyways, summer is in just a few weeks and then college...whoo hoo! I'm hoping I'll have more time to write then, but don't hold your breath x.x

Anyways, you're not here to hear me complain, here's Chapter 2! (P.S. I'll be changing the story title soon, you'd have to know the song to get the reference and I feel like it's a dumb title. So favorite/follow this so you don't lose it!)

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**Chapter 2**

I walked up the steps to my house, my last hope of putting off the news that I had to tell Peeta.

I trudged upstairs and took a long, hot shower. I wanted to try to cleanse myself of some of the burden I was carrying, both inside and out. Needless to say, I failed at my attempt and gathered all of my courage.

As I got to the front door, I called out to my mother, "I'm going to visit Peeta. I may not come back tonight."

Since my mother knew we were engaged and no longer believed it was an act, I was sometimes permitted to stay the night at Peeta's house. She knew that he was truly the only cure to my nightmares, but that was part of the reason I got into this whole mess in the first place.

I knocked on the door twice before letting myself in, the only people that even visited him were his parents, and me. I found him in the living room, reading a book.

He looked up at me as I walked in, and started to stand up as he saw the look on my face. I quickly crossed the room though, and sat in the spot next to him. He lowered himself slowly, obviously confused. He waited for me to speak.

"Peeta, I..." I choked out. I didn't want to cry again...at least not before I told him.

"What is it?" he asked, worriedness consuming his expression.

I decided once again to just throw it all out there. No use trying to beat around the bush, Peeta would only grow impatient.

"I'm pregnant." It was barely audible, but I knew he heard me.

His jaw dropped, and he looked down at my belly as if our child was going to start talking to him to prove its presence.

"Are you sure?" he asked. He took just one look into my eyes and saw the truthfulness of my words.

"Katniss, I...I knew we should have..." I silenced him before he could continue. We should have used protection? He knew there were no means of birth control in District 12, even for us. We would've had to have had it delivered directly from the Capitol, and they would've thought immediately that it was a ruse. "What if your mother finds out?"

I laughed darkly at the irony of his question. "Trust me," I said. "I think that's the least of our worries."  
He nodded. "What are we going to do?" There were no such thing as abortions anymore, either. The Capitol didn't want women aborting their babies, then no one would ever have children and they wouldn't have their Games. I did hear of a woman about two years ago who poisoned herself in an attempt to save her child from the claws of the Capitol. We couldn't even hold a funeral for her, the Capitol wanted to cover up her death, so as to not give anyone else any ideas.

I shook my head at him, "There's nothing we _can _do. Once the Capitol finds out-"  
"We're doomed."

I nodded in agreement as I waged war against the tears that were trying to come out, but they won the battle. The moment the first tear spilled out, Peeta hugged me tightly and then the tears just gushed out. He held me and stroked my hair as vicious sobs racked my entire body for the fourth time today.

"Shhh," he said, in an awkward attempt to calm me. I took deep breaths and tried to calm myself enough to speak again.

After what seemed like an hour, I sat back and asked him, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

He frowned at me and said pointedly, "Katniss, I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Please, Peeta. I need you. It's not like I can get pregnant again."

He seemed to take my words into consideration before slowly nodding his head. "I know."  
"Thank you," I said as he kissed my forehead then scooped my sorrow-worn body up and carried me to bed.

He laid me down and cuddled up next to me, how we always do when I have my nightmares.

"I love you, Katniss."

"I love you too." Exhausted from all the tears, I fell asleep almost immediately.

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That night, a new nightmare haunted me.

Peeta and I were holding hands in the square at the annual Reaping. I held our newborn son to my chest, trying to silence his cries. It was almost as if he knew what was coming.

President Snow himself was drawing the names from the glass bowl. We all waited in horrific anticipation as a nasty sneer spread across his face.

He cleared his throat, then called out the name of our child. He came down from the stage and took him directly from my arms.

I screamed out and reached out for him, but I was blocked by the Peacemakers. I looked beyond them and saw Peeta already dashing onto the stage, trying to fight our little baby out of the hands of Snow. He knocked Peeta down and the Peacemakers dragged him away, beating him with their clubs.

Peeta lay unconscious at Snow's feet. I pushed my way through the Peacemakers and ran to him, swallowed up in my own rage and concern, then continued up the stairs to the stage.

I was blocked by another row of Peacemakers before I could reach Snow, and I tried to fight my way through until I heard a large gasp and a few screams escape from the crowd behind me. I turned to look at them, and they were looking back at me. I turned once more and the Peacemakers slowly parted.

I was not even five feet away from Snow, who had a cruel smirk on his face. He already had my baby headfirst in a tank of shallow water held by four Peacemakers. President Snow drowned my son before my eyes.

I woke with a start, choking and gasping, as if I was the one drowning. I could feel my heart breaking into a thousand tiny pieces as the tears ran down my face.

Peeta jumped up too, and his face was worried. "What is it, Katniss?"

I couldn't find my voice, I was still choking through my sobs.

Peeta wrapped his arms around me and ran his hands through my hair. "Shh, shh, baby. Did you have another nightmare?"

I nodded my head against his chest, sniffling and trying to steady my breathing.

"Was it about the baby?" I nodded again and he sighed. "Me too."

I leaned over the side of the bed and threw up.

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Well? I do love a good cliffie. Nothing too exciting happening yet, and I'm going to split this story with two alternate endings...whooooo! I'll let you guys decide the best when the time comes, but for now...just pray that I can finish Chapter Three.

Review. Favorite. Follow. PM. Love Me. Heart, Otwamewliart.


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